Memories may be included in a variety of devices, such as computers, portable electronic systems, smartphones, etc. As the devices that use memories continue to decrease in size while providing greater performance, the memory or memories included within are desired to provide ever larger storage capacities at ever decreasing sizes. To this end, memory devices may incorporate multiple memory die (e.g., memory chips) into a single board-mountable package.
These multi-die packages may conventionally include a controller to control the multiple memory die that may be connected to a common bus. The common bus may be a combination data and command bus or there may be a shared data bus and a shared command bus. Whatever connection scheme is used, the controller may control the access of the common bus (or busses) by the multiple memory die to avoid collisions on the common bus that may occur during consecutive operations. The controller may avoid such collisions by controlling the timing of the access of the common bus by the various memory die in the multi-die package.
To control the timing and access of the common bus by the various memory die in the package, the controller may include circuitry for generating and sending strobe signals, for example, to each die on dedicated strobe lines. For example, if the memory device receives a read command intended for a specific memory die in the package, the controller may generate a strobe signal and transmit that strobe signal to the intended memory die when the read command is provided on the common bus so that the intended memory die can capture the read command. The other memory die in the package may not access the common bus because the controller does not provide the other memory die with a strobe signal during the time the intended memory die is accessing the common bus. The number of strobe lines per die may depend on the number of various commands and/or inputs each die may receive. For example, there may be a strobe line for read commands and a strobe line for write commands. Other strobe lines may also be included for each die, for example, the other strobe lines used for refresh commands and modify commands.
The controller may include strobe signal circuitry for providing the strobe signals, which may include separate dedicated signal driver circuits for each strobe signal. These dedicated strobe signal circuits may all be substantially similar and include circuit stages such as clock trees, delay elements, signal drivers, and etc. As the number of die in the package increases and the number of strobe lines increase, the more controller die area will be used for the strobe signal circuitry. As a result, a large area of the die may be consumed by the strobe signal circuitry, which may also increase power consumption. As such, apparatuses and methods that may reduce the amount of strobe signal circuitry included in a controller may be desired so that the controller die size may be reduced despite including multiple memory die in the single board-mountable package.